It's All Math
by BeatriceGrace
Summary: Life is simply math. There are problems where the solution is easy, sometimes hard. There are answers that need to be thought of, there are also answers that simply come out of your mouth. There may be addition and subtraction, but what's math without that? What is life without that? Life is simply math. (Short story) COMPLETE
1. 1

"Kelsey!" Tobias shouts for his younger sister. He spots her waving at the back of the crowd wearing her favorite grey dress and pink princess tiara, her brown hair in her regular pigtails.

"Tobias!" she shouts as she runs to hug him.

"Hey kiddo!" he says. "Come on, let's get out of the way."

They go away from the small classroom. As they walk, holding hands, the older brother asks questions.

"So, how's the first day of 1st grade?"

Kelsey thinks, but the answer is obvious from the smile on her lips. "It was great! I've made some friends already. My teachers are so fun. My new favorite subject is math. Our math teacher's very good."

"Oh really?" Tobias says. "I would like to meet this math teacher of yours."

"I think you'll like her," she answers smiling up at him.

So, it's a her. Maybe Tobias does want to meet this teacher.

"So Toby, is college hard?" his little sister asks.

Tobias is in 3rd year now at the University of Chicago. "Well, if you compare it to 1st grade, yeah. But don't worry about it. You still have a lot to learn." he answers. "Don't rush through life."

"Okay."

They walk, or skip, to his car. Tobias spots something at the corner of his eye at the parking lot.

"You want ice cream?" he asks.

Her eyes light up instantly, "Really?"

"Yeah. Just finish it before we get into the car, okay?"

She nods. They head to the blue ice cream truck. He doesn't need to ask what flavor she wants.

"One strawberry on cone," he tells the boy inside.

His sister tugs at his shirt,"You don't want anything?"

Tobias shakes his head, "I'm going to eat yours when you don't want it anymore."

She giggles, "Okay."

He thanks and pays the boy and they head to the car. Tobias sees a blonde woman looking at the front of her car, supposedly. It must be broken. He looks at Kelsey and she nods. They head her way.

"Hi. Can I help you?" he asks.

The woman looks up and Tobias is fascinated by the interesting color of her eyes. Grey and blue, blue and grey.

"Oh. Um, no thanks. It's fine," she then sees the little girl beside the kind man. "Hey Kelsey."

"Hi teacher Tris," Kelsey smiles at her. "We can drive you home if you want."

Tobias notices that this teacher isn't that old yet. Maybe even younger than him. She looks petite but very beautiful.

"No, it's fine. I can call my brother to pick me up," she answers. "But thank you."

Tobias speaks up, "No, we insist. Your brother could be busy and we're on our way home anyways."

She looks at him then at Kelsey. She pouts and Tris can't help but smile. Who's heart wouldn't melt at a sight like that?

"Okay," Tris finally replies.

They head to his black Maserati.

Tris says, "Wow. You have a nice car..."

"Tobias," he extends his hand.

She shakes it, "Beatrice. Or Tris."

He stares into the eyes of this girl in front of him. Tobias feels something but can't describe it. Something like electricity? A spark? He doesn't know.

"Tobias?" Kelsey says.

He then realizes that he's still holding on to Tris' hand. He let's go, embarrassed, but Tris just smiles at him. He opens the door for Tris at the passenger side.

"Thank you."

Kelsey goes into the back. But before entering she whispers something into Tobias' ear. He just laughs and shakes his head. He goes inside the car too and starts to drive. Tris starts to wonder what she said but she knows it's none of her business. She decides she wants to know more about this kind boy who offered a ride.

"So, you're Kelsey's brother?" she asks. Obviously. Unless he has a kid.

"Yeah," Tobias glances her way. "So what subject do you teach, teacher Tris?"

She chuckles, "Math."

Tobias is a little surprised. He really _does_ want to know more about Kelsey's math teacher. She checks Kelsey through the rear mirror and sees that she's already lying asleep.

"So where's your address?" he asks.

She gets out a piece of paper and writes it down. She hands it to him.

"Huh. You're just a couple of blocks away from our house."

He smiles at the thought of seeing Tris more often. He is sure that he'll pick his sister up whenever he can.

In a few minutes, they arrive. He looks at the one-story house. Small and simple.

"Thanks for the ride," Tris says. She smiles at Kelsey who is fast asleep.

Tobias smiles at her too, "Anytime."

She closes the door and walks toward the house. Tobias thinks back to what Kelsey said earlier.

"I think she likes you." He hopes she does.


	2. 2

12:00. It's time for Tobias to pick Kelsey up. And maybe see someone else, too. Maybe.

He sits on the wooden bench, just in front of the school. He looks around, trying to remember how it felt like when he did this thirteen years ago, right here in this spot. He looks at the playground. There used to be a net there, in between the two small towers. He remembers helping a girl there. Her foot got stuck in the middle and she couldn't get it out. She was very small and one of the youngest kids in the school. He remembers helping this blonde girl in the middle of a game he played with his best friends Zeke and Shauna. "Welcome to Dauntless," he told the girl as he pulled her out of the net. She laughed and said, "Thank you."

He realizes that he didn't ask that girl's name. He had the same feeling that day when he shook Kelsey's math teacher's hand. He also notices the little girl's similarity to Tris. Blonde, petite, grey-blue eyes. Is it possible?

"Hi," he turns to see Kelsey sitting next to him.

"Hey. How was your day?" Tobias asks.

"It was fine but we have homework," she pouts. Tobias laughs. Kelsey isn't that much into homework.

"Don't worry, I'll help you," he says getting the pink backpack of Kelsey's shoulders and putting it on his.

Kelsey smiles, "Okay. Do you want to say hi to teacher Tris?"

Tobias thinks about it. Would it be weird if he did? Would she think that he's some kind of stalker? Of course not. "Sure."

Kelsey leads Tobias to her classroom. They see that Tris is still there, erasing the chalkboard.

"Hi," Tobias says.

Tris turns to the door, "Oh, hey Tobias, Kelsey."

Kelsey grabs the other eraser and starts to help erase the board. Tobias smiles at her. She may not be into homework but she's into helping people even without being told.

"Thank you Kelsey. You're so kind," Tris smiles warmly at her.

"No problem teacher," Kelsey smiles back.

"So what are you guys doing here?"

Tobias tries to think. Why did he come here?

"We just wanted to know if you needed a ride home again," Tobias answers, partly true.

Tris smiles, "My car's fixed now, but thanks. Do you guys want to eat by the café? I'll treat you guys."

He wants to answer 'No, it's fine' but he does want to spend time with this girl so he says, "Sure, but you don't need to treat us."

"No, I should."

Tobias shakes his head, smiling.

"Let's go?" Kelsey says.

They head out of the room and walk to the café. Kelsey skips along, leading the way.

"I don't mean to be nosy but, are you really Kelsey's brother?" Tris whispers. It's hard to believe that a six-and-a-half year old is a sister of a 21.

Tobias answers, "Well, people _do_ think that she's my daughter because of her age and our similarities but she's really not. Me and my mother found her in front of our doorstep a few years ago."

Tris nods, "Oh. Does she know?"

"Yeah. We wanted to tell her before she would find out herself," he answers. "She took the news in and instead of crying and looking for her real parents, she hugged and thanked us."

Tris smiles, "She's a really nice little girl."

"Yeah, she is." He smiles too.

They enter the café and are greeted by the smell of coffee.

"What do you want?" Tobias asks.

"I was going to treat you guys," Tris tells him.

"Trust me, I should pay. There's a discount."

"And how's that?" she asks, eyebrows raised.

Tobias smirks, "Connections. Connections you don't have."

He goes to the counter, "Hey Zeke. Two slices of dauntless cake, once chocolate frap, one vanilla."

"Okay bro," he answers. "Why two slices and two fraps? Don't you just share with Kelsey?" He looks behind him and sees a girl talking to his little sister. "Ohh. I see," he says with a wink.

Tobias smiles and shakes his head. He gets the tray and sits down beside Kelsey, across from Tris.

"How'd you know I like vanilla?" Tris asks as he gives her the drink.

"Your perfume," he answers, a matter of factly. She smells like ice cream. He likes it.

"And you should try their cake, teacher," Kelsey says. "They're the best."

"Okay," she replies, "So how much do I owe you?"

Tobias just waves it off. She smiles gratefully. She watches as Tobias feeds his little sister cake. He's so sweet. She adds the siblings to the list of her favorite people. She thinks that their family is very wonderful. Wonderful, it is. Perfect, it is not.


	3. 3

It's funny how Tris didn't mind when Tobias would offer her coffe or the Dauntless Cake. She accepted without thought. If her green-eyed co-teacher, Peter, would have asked her, she would have said no in a matter of seconds. Though when Tobias was around, she couldn't see any reason for saying no. It's as if his questions are like "1+1" and Tris doesn't need to think twice before answering. How could that be?

It's been four weeks after their visit at the café and Tris was getting tired of food from fast food chains. She inhales the smell of noodles and herbs once she steps foot into the Chinese restaurant. She searches for a place to sit, her eyes wandering from booth to booth. People fill the place by only one fourth. The place is hardly full and what is the probability of seeing the guy you've been thinking about for the past... two hours?

Tris is shocked, relived, excited and nervous at the same time. She stands there by thr doorway, frozen, but recovers after contemplating that what she's seeing is real. It is confirmed when he looks up from the paper he's been reading. His eyes light up instantly, you could have mistaken them for light bulbs. "Tris?"

What are the chances?

Tris smiles and walks toward his booth. "Tobias. I didn't know you eat here."

Well, duh. How would she know that? Just a lame excuse to assure him she wasn't some kind of creepy stalker.

He chuckles. "Sit down. I didn't know you came here either."

She sits down across from him with a smile. Another situation that she didn't think twice about. 1+1.

"Well, I just wanted to try something new," Tris says. "I'm kinda full of bacon and eggs."

Tobias laughs. The light and just happy kind. "Funny. That's why I'm here too. Not really a Chinese fan. Kelsey just loves bacon."

They continue their conversation and it feels like they've known each other since childhood even if they just met about a month ago. Or maybe they've already met before. But tbey can't really be sure about that.

The conversation goes on like the streaming water from a waterfall. When Tris is already halfway through her noodles, she remembers what Tobias had been doing before she was even here.

"Um, Tobias? Did I disturb you while you were studying?"

He smiles. "Well, not really. You can't really disturb someone if they actually like your presence."

All Tris can think is _does that mean what I think it does?_ Her eyes are wide and her cheeks are pink. She's smiling like she always has when Tobias would compliment her. She thinks about what to say. What should you say if someone told you that?

"No, seriously. What were you reading?" She asks and she just really can't wipe that smile of her face. She grabs the book from him. "Oh."

"Yeah, physics. You must be great at it."

Tris chuckles. "Are you serious? I suck at physics."

"But I bet you're better. Too much terms are exploding in my head," Tobias laughs.

"I could still help you if you want. I mean, we could tutor each other, you know?" Tris offers. She doesn't actually suck at physics, just hates it more than other subjects.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Tobias says then stands and moves over to Tris' side to sit beside her. She doesn't scoot away even when their legs touch which is a weird thing to not do for Tris. She's never felt so comfortable around guys. "Okay," she exhales. She can't think very straight now that he's beside her. She drinks what's left of her water and says, "So, what's first?"

They don't know how much time has passed once they've finished about six lessons. Their cups are empty and Tobias' bowl is too. Tris' soup is cold but she slurps it anyway. Wasting food isn't necessary. They are still seated side-by-side even if the Science book is closed. The bill comes and so does two fortune cookies.

"Oooh," Tris says. She picks up her cookie and opens it.

"What does it say?" Tobias asks, leaning to see what's written.

She laughs, "The person beside you will be your eternal partner in crime."

"Wow. Hey, it might be true," Tobias says. He then adds, "Maybe not the crime thing though."

She laughs and yes, she surely hopes it's true.

"How about yours?" She asks.

He opens his and smirks. "The person you've been searching for has been right here all along."

 _Okay,_ she thinks _. What does that smirk mean?_

"I guess the waitress here's desperate to find a boyfriend," Tris jokes.

"Or that guy," Tobias nods to the waiter who is refilling drinks at a table. He finishes and looks up and sees them staring at him. He winks at Tobias and leaves.

Tris and Tobias laugh. The sky is actually already a shade of gray. It was about one o'clock when Tris got here so she checks the time. They've been here for five hours already but it seemed less. Numbers are really surprising. Just like how much numbers there are on the bill.

"How come our meals are like the price of Mcdonald's? And how come we've spent five hours here without anyone telling us to leave?"

"Perks of handsome guys, I guess." Tobias shrugs.

"Oh, really?" Tris asks as she shakes her head and shoves Tobias' shoulder. Yes, Tris is really comfortable with Tobias. You could easily mistake them for a couple because of the space between them. If there is.

And so they keep on talking as they wait for the change. They have discovered a lot of new things about each other and have seen how much they have in common. They've discovered something else too, their venn diagram is one circle.


	4. 4

Days usually go by fast. That's how Tris always felt about them. But now, something has somehow changed. It's possible for her to grasp and absorb every moment. Feeling a hundred emotions instead of feeling nothing at all. Seeing the world in a hundred different colors, unlike before where every shade of blue was just blue. Right now, there's sky blue, aqua, turquoise and there's ocean blue.

Life has been something Tris was used to. She was used to the disappointments coming because expecting the worst out of things was a habit of hers. "Expect the unexpected", many people would say. So that's what she always did. But she never expected the ups in her life. She never expected this.

"See you tomorrow," was said.

"See you tomorrow," was nodded and answered.

She never expected to hear Tobias say that. She never expected her to answer that back either. How did it happen? Why and what is this? What is this going on, this thing taking her on a roller coaster of emotions, feelings, thoughts that are simply messing up with the flow of her life?

Tris contemplates but the answer is already in front of her. She just doesn't know what it is.

"So, what's this specialty of yours?" she asks Tobias.

"Well, it's no other than," he uncovers the bowl and there it is, "burnt toast sundae."

She grins, "Wow." He sits down on the chair across from her and hands her a spoon.

"And," Tobias adds. "French vanilla. Your favorite." He pushes the coffee cup that smells like heaven forward.

"Tobias, it's twelve A.M. You drink coffee this late?"

"Well, it's technically morning so I would consider it early," he smiles. "And yes, Tris. I do. And if you don't want it, I'll drink it."

He grabs the cup but Tris stops him by putting her hand over his. "No, no. I want it. Just give it to me."

Tobias' eyes are wider than usual but he doesn't notice it. But she does. He just nods and says, "It's all yours."

Tris scoops vanilla ice cream with her spoon and is filled with delight. Tobias takes a sip from his coffee and he watches her, filled with contempt, happiness and something more. Desire, that is.

"Tris," he starts, a little uncertain. "When did you realize that teaching math was your thing?"

She stops mid-scoop and sits back. "I don't know. I guess I like how it feels like whenever I see the looks on the faces of those kids whenever they understand a lesson or how proud they are when they recite the multiplication table to their parents. Or maybe I just feel capable of much more things because it's like I can actually help kids with their lives and give them a start before they head to the future.

"I also like how the numbers just seem to spill out of me. I'm not really a mathematician and it is still my first year of teaching but I feel as if I was meant to do it. Also probably because I enjoy solving math problems. Kinda weird, yeah. But I don't know. I probably am not making much sense right now."

"You make a whole lot of sense," Tobias says seriously. Seriously concealing emotions.

They continue to eat their dessert and Tobias stands to start cleaning up. Tris helps and puts the dishes to the sink.

"Your dessert was amazing. Thank you."

"You're always welcome."

They stand next to each other in front of the sink, both not knowing how to end this visit, both not wanting to end it, either.

"Tobias," she faces him and looks straight into his eyes, ocean blue. "I, I-"

She can't even finish her sentence because she doesn't even know how to start. Because she doesn't even know what to say. But she doesn't need to. They're standing very close to each other, enough for Tobias to touch her, so that's exactly what he does. He slides his hand from her wrist and brushes it up all the way to her shoulder. The simple contact of his skin is enough to make her shiver. He notices this and he can't deny how much he likes it.

He keeps his right hand on her right shoulder and he repeats what he did with his other hand until Tris' breathing is rapidly increasing in speed. Inhale, exhale, she keeps on telling herself to focus. But it's not working. She closes her eyes when Tobias squeezes her shoulders. Sliding his hands to her back, he takes a step closer. Her hands suddenly go to his arms because she needs support. She feels like she's about to fall, pulse so fast, heart in throat. He searches her face for discomfort but he can't see any kind so he places his hands on her waist. This causes Tris to take a fast intake of breathe and it also makes her bite her lip. Tobias' hand reaches up to her lips and he strokes the side of her face slowly. "Don't do that. You're torturing it."

This makes Tris laugh, but it's strained. How can she laugh if she can hardly breathe under the intense gaze of the blue eyes in front of her especially with Tobias' arms all over her? She finds the courage to pull him in closer and she wraps both of her arms around his neck.

"Mmmm," she hums. "So."

"So," he repeats.

She shakes her head and closes her eyes, leaning in until their foreheads are touching.

"You said you teach because it just feels right, like you were meant to be there doing just that," Tobias tells her. "And I know we've only knew each other for a month and a half but that's exactly how I feel when I'm with you."

Her eyes flutter open but then they suddenly fall shut when she feels his lips on hers. He kisses her softly and slowly like he's savoring the moment so he could keep it forever. She kisses him back with the same amount of passion, every bottled up feeling slowly flowing out because the contents is just too much. Neither of them can describe what their feeling but they both know something's there. Tobias' right hand goes to her neck, pushing her closer, while the other goes to her hair. Their lips together, their bodies moving in sync, their hands grasping with need eventually separate and Tris stares into his eyes with a mix of care, desire, lust and happiness. "Me too."


End file.
